Breathless
by WinterYume
Summary: He thought he was okay. At least until his lover, a certain Heracles Karpusi, comes home with a bite. It all goes down from there.  PruCan. GiriPan. HunAus. Other side pairings. AU/Fantasy.
1. Chapter 1

Finishing tightening the screws of his customer's arm, Kiku set the wrench down. "Tight as it can go, of course. If you feel them loosening, then come back here and I'll check it out." The man stood and dropped a small sack of gold on the desk, exiting after doing so. The Japanese teen lifted up the sack, bouncing it up and down in his hand. A pair of arms wrapped themselves around him, a chin resting on his head. Kiku's smile appeared like a light being flipped on. "You're back..." He breathed to himself in complete relief.

"I am," He turned around and looked up at the other's green eyes. They were hazy, unfocused_._ "And my shoulder hurts..." To that, a worried expression erased the smile on Kiku's face. Heracles kissed his forehead with a pained smile.

"Sit down, please..." He very nearly begged. The Greek complied and walked to their room. Kiku followed, but after getting a roll of bandages and a small bottle of peroxide, along with cotton balls. He found the other sitting with his back to the door, his shirt off. Dried blood caked Heracles' shoulder and some of his back. "...Heracles..." The smaller teen climbed onto the bed and began to wipe away the blood with a cotton ball.

The serious and worried atmosphere was eating away at the Greek."Is it bad?" He received silence, not getting an answer. Kiku dropped the fourth blood-soaked cotton ball on the dark blanket and looked up, a breath escaping him.

"It's a bite, Heracles. A bite... Did you get bitten by something?" The green-eyed teen was silent for a few long minutes. "Heracles... Did you?"

"...I wasn't sure what it was when it did and I'm still not sure." A look of complete despair crossed the other's face. "But it hurt a lot. I was just trying to avoid moving as little as possible... Then the pain went away as quickly as it came." Now, a look of utter confusion crossed Kiku's face, his eyes narrowing slightly. "It was weird, Kiku."

"I can tell, Heracles. I just cannot explain how it happened." The petite teen rose and pursed his lips as he walked out of the room. It was obvious what had bitten him, but most would have a reason to bite a human. He looked out as he sat on the windowsill, thinking. His eyes flashed and he looked down at his hands.

_Why did he have a feeling the mystery would only become deeper now?_


	2. Chapter 2

"H...Heracles..." Kiku tried to get free of the arms around him, becoming uncomfortable when the Greek sniffed curiously at his throat.

He flinched as a pair of elongated canines buried themselves into his throat. He slowly dropped to his knees, Heracles dropping with him, fangs still in the smaller teen's neck. He could not feel anything but fear for his life. Fear for Heracles' sake when he came to.

The Greek teen's eyes were a deadly crimson, the sign of a Youngblood. Kiku let out a soft whimper and closed his dark eyes.

"I'm sorry, Heracles... I never told you what you..." The Japanese teen's head lolled as he faded into unconcious. The last thing he saw was the ground rushing up to meet him.

* * *

Kiku sat up with a startled gasp, his hands reaching up to feel his throat. Nothing. He stood and walked to the bathroom, splashing his face. Heracles was still sleeping, but now he probably could not get back to sleep. He hated his dreams with a passion. Most of them were, well, based off of the future. He rubbed his eyes and tilted his head back to look at the ceiling.

_Why does it have to be the one I love who is affected by a curse...? _He thought idly, closing his dark eyes. Heracles rolled over, placing a strong, warm arm over Kiku and pulled him closer, chest touching chest. "Mmm... your dreams are annoying when it's still dark outside and you could be sleeping still..." The Greek mumbled, not opening his eyes as he drifted back to sleep. Tears beaded up Kiku's eyes suddenly and he buried his face in Heracles' chest, slowly drifting back to sleep.

00000000

A hand dabbing at his cheeks woke him up. "You were crying, Kiku. What's wrong?" The taller Greek teen tilted his head to the side in confusion. In response, Kiku examined the bite on the other teen's shoulder, frowning slightly when he saw it was forming a bruise much-like a hickey. He threw his legs over the side of the bed, and sat there, not looking at the Greek. He felt bad for not telling him yet.

But he would rather wait to see what would happen if he waited. A whistle made them both look up and Kiku's older sister, Yui, stood there, her arms crossed. "As much as I enjoy seeing you two happy, I do need help, aru." Heracles' thumb gently rubbed Kiku's cheek, causing the other to lean into his palm slightly.

"I need to–"

"No, you are going to stay here and help me. After big sister leaves, I want to tell you something, Heracles." The petite teen stood and walked after his sister, leaving a confused Heracles behind. "What's wrong, big sister?"

"See for yourself, aru." The older teen girl stood back as Kiku looked in horror at the shredded metal in front of him. "I take it off during the night so it doesn't pinch me, but when I woke up this morning, I found it like that, aru."

"What is your boyfriend, big sister?"

"What? Ivan? I don't know. Why, aru?" A wolf padded in at that moment, sitting and looking about in curiousity. "Umm..." Kiku's older sister looked away from the wolf.

"A wolf spirit. It rules him out. His claws aren't nearly as sharp as whatever's claws scratched up this metal. How long can you wait, big sister?"

"It depends. I can come back in a couple of days. Ivan can help me get back there and back here." Kiku nodded and his sister hobbled out, leaning up against the tan-clad Russian for support. Heracles wrapped his arms around the petite teen again, making him stiffen slightly.

"I want to bite something." Kiku tilted his head back, receiving a light kiss in return. "But I don't know what to bite. Can I bite you?" A light blush covered the Japanese teen's cheeks.

"I-I can't refuse you if you word it that cutely..." He held out his wrist. Heracles took it and kissed the underside lightly. He tilted his head. "Heracles...?" A glazed look entered the Greek's eyes. He backed away, but was thwarted by Heracles' grip on his wrist. "H-Heracles..." He flinched when the Greek's hands slapped against the wall on each side of his head, that glazed look still in his eyes.

He noticed the slight fangs when the Greek showed them as he bent down to sniff around the Japanese teen's throat. They were not quite long enough to do much. Ignoring the throat, Heracles lifted his wrist up and kissed it again, biting it lightly. Some drops of blood dewed up and the green-eyed man licked them away. Kiku half-lidded his dark eyes as he watched the Greek's reaction to the dark liquid.

Heracles blinked as Kiku took his wrist back, covering up the little pinpricks with his sleeve. "...What just happened? I blacked out for a second there..." Kiku smiled lightly, deciding to just kept what happened a secret. He just reached up as far as he could until Heracles leaned down to return the kiss.

* * *

**Just gonna continue it. Author luves this. X3**


	3. Chapter 3

Kiku looked at the little pinpricks on his wrist and sighed. They would only get more defined. He stood and walked towards his seat, pulling up the metal and examining it. His sister never showed her prosthetic leg to anyone any more, so it must have been hard on her to bring it here with people looking at her. He began to run his fingers over the torn metal, lightly and careful. Heracles looked at him from the window, a cat laying across his lap. "Is it fixable?"

"Oh, of course. They're just claw marks... I'll just place a somewhat stronger metal on top, then weld them together." The green-eyed teen slid the feline off his lap and got up, going over to pick up the welding torch. He brought it over to Kiku, who smiled lightly in thanks and picked up a long piece of scrap metal out of the bin by his feet.

He placed the metal on top of the torn metal and flicked the flame of the torch on. Heracles watched as he began to meld the two pieces together.

000000

Kiku looked over to see Heracles sleeping. A small smile crossed his face as he finished welding the two pieces and set down the torch. He stood and walked over to the closet, grabbing a spare blanket from it and throwing it over Heracles, who blinked awake and rubbed his eyes.

"I have to go and get some more metal, Heracles." The raven-haired teen pulled on his jacket as he looked at the Greek. "I'll be back soon." He walked out of the workshop/house and looked up as light rain touched his face. He turned and walked towards a house in the center of the small ocean town. He knocked on the door, which opened by his touch.

"¿Como estas?" She had her back to him, blowing out a match and setting a candle down in the middle of a circle of foil. "Tengo desorganizada casa..." She turned around, brushing a strand of hair from her eyes. "Oh, Kiku, I'm sorry. Habits are hard to break if you're not from this country, sí? How are you?"

"I'm fine, and they are, in fact. Heracles and I have trouble not speaking our native languages. How are you, Roselita?" The dark-haired girl smiled, brushing off her soot-covered hands.

"Never been better. What do ya need, Kiku?"

"Metal, thin sheets, if you've got any. My sister's prosthetic leg came up with gashes in it, and I need to weld some more pieces onto it, to reinforce it."

"Mmm~ Maybe, let me check," The brunette walked to a room in the back and Kiku waited patiently. A light growl caught his attention and he looked around. A pair of eyes shined back at him, belonging to a furry head. "Fray, don't growl at Kiku." Roselita scolded lightly, shaking her head. "Here, this should do, Kiku." She deposited the metal he requested into his arms and walked over to the shining eyes, scooping up whatever it was up.

"What is it?" Kiku tilted his head slightly.

"Fray? Oh, he's a fox I found in a trap almost a year ago. Thing is, not too many foxes are around here, so I think he must've been bait for something larger. I think he's probably around eight months to a year old." Fray, as she had called it, wound his lean body around her shoulders, peering balefully at Kiku.

"I don't think he likes me very much," Kiku murmured, going back out the door.

"Probably not. He growled at Im Yong and Hyung Soo when they came for some scraps of metal, and he growled at Yao and Huan, too. Maybe he just doesn't like your family in general, Kiku. At least the males. He liked Mei Mei and Kimi." Kiku chuckled faintly and shook his head.

"So he growled at the twins. Not too shocking since Im Yong is a bit annoying. See you later, Roselita." He waved good-bye and walked away back to his house.

* * *

"You're rather stupid, aren't you?"

"Sorry, I didn't expect him to get away."

"Do better next time. He won't remember this for a while, unless_ he _tells him."

"I said I was sorry."

"I doubt you feel sorry." A smirk.

"You're right, little master."

* * *

**Sorry if the Spanish is incorrect, Winter is taking Spanish 1 in her high school.**


	4. Chapter 4

"Favor is favor. I used to camp alot in these mountains when we came here, but mostly when I was younger." Kiku looked back at the grumbling Heracles. "A little hiking won't hurt you, will it, Heracles?" He teased, stopping to let him catch up. The Greek rolled his eyes, avoiding the question.

"But you came here from Japan to this little town- how come?" Heracles tilted his head to the side (much like the cats who acted like he was cat nip) and waited for Kiku's reply. The petite teen smiled faintly.

"My mother came here hoping to find a job requiring her priestess skills. I'm the only one who is actually related to her. Everyone else is adopted, even if Yui is oldest. My mother -our mother- disappeared a few months after we arrived here. That was five or six years ago." Kiku looked away, dark eyes emotionless. Heracles' only move was to pull him closer, holding him.

"My mother died when I was younger. She wasn't like any other woman, no. She was, to be honest, a fighter. She always protected me and died doing it." Kiku moved back to look him in the eyes, brushing away a stray tear from his cheek.

"I'll always be here for you, Heracles. You know that, right?" He nodded slightly, not letting Kiku go just yet.

"There you guys are! I said that I'd accompany you to Locke, you know?" Roselita rolled her eyes as the two blushes and got up from where they were sitting, fingers intertwined "I've got nothing against you two being together. An old roommate of mine is a lesbian, so I've heard and, unfortunately, seen everything to be seen. She lives in Locke. We can visit her when we came back, sí?" Fray bounded ahead, but came back at the Mexican's command. "You brat- stay near me!" The fox simply sat on her foot.

Heracles and Kiku walked ahead, both half-listening to Roselita scold Fray for causing several of her metal to rust a few days ago. "Well, I'm sorry." A new voice mumbled, not sounding sorry. "It was the Witches' Hour* and I needed to pee." Fray yawned, his dark eyes on the Sun. "Also, you snore. Loudly. Hurts my ears." The three stared at the fox. "And that Japanese boy there has the blood of a- gyaah!" Kiku had stepped on Fray's tail, dark eyes sparking.

Roselita just walked ahead, more or less mortified. Kiku fell back, not talking. He paused, skin prickling. "Is there a barrier around Locke, Rose?"

"Sí! It's set up so that once you've stepped through, your true self is seen instead of your human facade. A lot of inhuman creatures live in Locke due to it. Antonio's vampire friend lives here and you'd be surprised at how a real vampire without its human cover on looks like." She kept walking.

Fray bounded ahead, disappearing around a bend. The three rounded the bend and spotted the city down a steep grassy hill. Fray stood at the edge of the slope, his eyes glittering. "See you in Locke!" He backed up and took a flying leap off the slope. Rose slid down the slope, grunting every so often about her skirt riding up. Kiku was hesitant, looking down at Locke with almost fearful eyes.

So Heracles gave him a push. The shorter male rolled down the hill from the 'slight' push. Heracles bit his lip to prevent himself from laughing out loud at Kiku's messy dark hair. He slid down the slope in time to watch Kiku walk into the town.

Kiku shook himself off as he stepped up to Roselita's side. Her dark green eyes focused on him, curious. Heracles stepped through finally, finding Kiku immediately with slightly confused green eyes.

"You're a..."

Kiku looked very much like a kitsune*, complete with three tails; the outer two black, the middle white. His hands (covered by the sleeves of a long-sleeved kosode*) held a lantern that possessed a tongue and gave off an eerie blue light. Baggy blue short-style pants were partially obscured by bandages that hid his legs. Floating blue balls of fox fire flickered in and out as he noticed Heracles.

He disappeared into thin air the next second.

* * *

***Witches' Hour - Usually considered midnight to 4 am. (Or 3 am to 6 am, according the Wiki on it).**

***Kitsune - You're kidding. This should be really quite easy. :I**

***Kosode- Both worn as an undergarment and overgarment.**


	5. Chapter 5

It was nearly sunset. Kiku had been gone for nearly four hours. Roselita watched as Heracles tapped the window pane every so often as he glanced at the street below Francis' house. Fray bounced around, helping the French vampire bake a loaf of bread. His hands grasped the edge of his shirt, his large dark eyes on the rising bread. Despite the markings on his cheeks, Fray could pass as a human child.

"Heracles," Roselita sighed as she placed her hand over the Greek's, forcing him to sit down. "Calm down."

"Ma cherie, are you a witch? A wiccan, perhaps?" Roselita just winked, dark eyes sparkling. Francis smiled lightly. "The bread will be done in an hour or so~" The door downstairs closed before Francis was done talking. Roselita sighed and closed the book in her hands.

"Poor thing - doesn't realize what's going to happen. Unless he already- nah."

Heracles walked through the town, looking around. "Ah, excuse me - have you seen a boy my age with three tails?" It sounded weird but the man tapped his chin.

"Short lad? Dark hair, dark eyes? Possibly a Japanese fox?" Heracles nodded. "Nope, haven't seen him. Sorry, lad."

"But you described him perfectly-!" The man chuckled, waving his hand.

"I saw him go into that little shop there." He pointed in the direction the shop was in and watched Heracles go that way. He shook his head, walking back into the house he stood in of, a grin replacing the frown on his face.

"Your mate's persistent, you know?" Kiku's hazy dark eyes focused on him for a split second before closing. "Ja, but my master wants you unharmed." An albino stood where the blonde was; the blonde being a mere illusion.

"You're such an idiot! He doesn't want him to be asleep when we get there, the poor dear..." A girl bent down to the unconscious Kiku and sighed. "You did nothing, by the way. It was I that brought his attention."

"Succubus are easy to hire. They're whores. Which would mean you're one too, you know-" She punched him in the face, sending him to the dusty floor.

"As if your kind isn't too hard to hire. Don't look down on me." He watched her throw on of Kiku's arms around her shoulder, her arm around his waist. She disappeared into the shadows. He rubbed his nose and got up.

Damn could she punch.

"I never found him. A blonde man with bushy eyebrows told me where he saw Kiku, but the raccoon-dog there said a fox never came in." Roselita was absolutely mystified.

"Bushy eyebrows? That man left a few weeks ago with his little brother, Peter. He was looking for his younger brother, Eddie. There is no way Arthur is back so soon, Heracles."

"I didn't realize there was a king."

"Ah, him. He came a few months ago and has been king since then. No one knows how he became king so fast, or where he came from, but they like him." Francis turned to Roselita to continue talking as Heracles absently stroked Fray's wild dark hair. The boy had fallen asleep with his head on his thigh.

"We should go to Mar'zell then."

"What? But Heracles-"

"If you will not come with me, then I will go by myself." Rose and Francis looked at each other.

"Spend the day packing tomorrow and take Fray with you, cariño." Roselita sighed.

"I won't be much help in the day, but Rose can help, oui?" She nodded.

"Get some sleep." She took Fray and went into the spare room.

"I really have to go with him? What if he knows what he is-!" Roselita glared at Fray, her dark green eyes even more dark, if that was even possible.

"Cierra la boca, Fray." She pushed him towards Heracles and sighed.

Things would only get harder for them once they reached Mar'zell; a two day's journey away.

* * *

Kiku's head hurt. His body ached, namely his wrists. As far as he knew, he was chained up. He lifted his head, meeting the blank crimson eyes of a girl clad in complete black. "You're awake? You've been asleep for a day or so thanks to Gilbert."

"How was I supposed to know he would be affected the drug so much, Masa?"

"The fact that he's a fox-person should be enough for you," She slid down and closed her eyes. "And you're wanted by the king in 3... 2... 1..."

"Beilschmidt! The king wants your arse up in his room!" The albino grumble and stalked out, muttering obscene words under his breath.

"You're a psychic?"

"No. The most I can see if the king's demands, nothing more."

"Then why...?

"He's a collector. And he's got you, the one he wanted. He'll break you and make you his if you refuse to obey him. I had a little brother but he and my mother vanished one day." A raven-haired woman with white fox ears and three tails, the outer two white and the middle black, knelt by the strange girl's side.

"Did you come to check my eyes again, miss Mirai?" While the woman called Mirai checked the girl's eyes, Kiku studied her closely.

"You can't be... Mama?"

The woman simply looked at Kiku with a sorrowed expression.

* * *

**cariño = sweetie in Spanish**

**oui = yes in French**

**cierra la boca = shut your mouth in Spanish**

**I use Google Translate for Spanish and French, so if I'm wrong, please tell me. ^^**

**OH, and Masa is fem!Kiku. :D**


	6. Chapter 6

Rubbing his sore wrists, Kiku sat before a more-or-less bored looking man. The man's violet eyes seemed to roam over his body, like they were searching for something he wanted. His ears twitched nervously and he looked away, deciding to not like the man's searching eyes. "Do you want me to be the fox back in his chains, sir?" A brunette spoke, slicing the tense silence with her comment. Kiku detected just the beginning of a jealous aura and deemed her to be a succubus; an easily jealous race.

"He's our guest, Elizabeta. Give him one of the rooms... Mirai, come here." The other fox-person came closer, not meeting the king's eyes. "I'm placing him under your care." He rose and left the room, the brunette tailing him.

"Come with me," She walked briskly up the stairs by the massive throne room, her dark eyes as hard as the the stones under their feet. She reached the end of the hall and opened a door, ushering Kiku inside, and closing the door behind her. Mirai enveloped her son in a tight hug, her shoulders shaking.

"M-Mama..." Tears rolled down Kiku's cheeks freely.

"My baby, don't cry. I'm here, and I'll always be here." Her fingers brushed his tears, a slight smile playing at her lips. "Me and Masa will be here if you need it."

"Then she is..."

"She is your sister, Kiku."

* * *

Heracles rubbed his eyes and glared at the sun. It seemed so much brighter than before. Fray grumbled at his feet, a fox once more. "I'm tired! Can we stop for a while, vamp- Heracles?" His words went unheard when Heracles' green eyes focused on an unmoving shape by a clump of trees. Fray bounded over and sniffed at the body. "She's got burns on her legs, Heracles, but I think she's breathing." Heracles bent down and turned her over. She had a pair of tattooed wings that spanned most of her back.

"I'm not going to leave her here. Let's take her with us." He lifted her up onto his back, feeling her shift once and groan.

"Who then hell're you?" She mumbled, sounding irritated. "And did you take me with you? You're not a collector for the king are you, brat?"

"I'm not a brat and what do you mean collector?" The girl snorted, opening her eyes.

"Have you been living under a rock? The king collects what he deems unusual. Succubus from Hungary, vampires from Germany, loup-garou from France, fox-people from Japan."

"What's unusual about you?" Heracles asked.

"Put me down and I'll show you, brat." He did as she requested, watching her in case she fell. "I'm far older than I look, I assure you. But don't think I'm frail or something stupid like that, brat." Fray hid behind Heracles' legs as she turned around to expose her bare back. "I haven't touched these tattoos in years..."

The black tattoos on her back moved slightly and rose from her back, flapping once to clean themselves. She turned back around. A tattoo of crimson-colored flames ran up the length of both her arms, stopping at her shoulders.

"I can see why he would want you," Fray mumbled. "You're one of the last few still alive, aren't you?" The girl smirked.

"I had two companions. A Vietnamese girl and a Thai boy. The girl was incredibly flexible, but she fought with a long paddle. But the boy - he refused to let anyone hit the girl, even though she was just as good of a fighter as he was." The girl sighed, allowing Heracles to carry her again. "What's your name, brat?"

"Heracles. Heracles Karpusi."

"Aaliyah Adnan." They walked in silence for awhile.

"Kimi, are you okay? Hey! Kimi? Oh no, ana~"

"P-Put me down. What's wrong with her, Kovit?" Heracles let her down and watched her stumble towards the two. "Where are the others?"

"I left them to find you and-"

"That was stupid. Has she had any rest in the past few days?"

"No. I wake up to find her watching the darkness, ana~"

"Just let her rest then." The Thai boy nodded and lifted up his companion.

"Who are your friends, Aaliyah? And I told you to stop wandering off, Kovit." An annoyed sounding voice echoed out. "I hope they weren't taking advantage of you."

"He's not a-"

"Not a collector? Yes, I know. Doesn't seem like the type." The man's green eyes roamed over Heracles, then Fray. "Come on. Let's get Kimi to her bed."

"Brother! Is that the vampire?"

"For the last time, Chaos, I'm a girl, and I don't believe he knows. And I am not in any way related to you so-"

"Calm down." The same man as before walked back up, a little girl in his arms. "He wasn't really talking to you anyway." She strode away. He turned to Heracles. "I'm Vash. This is Lily. That boy is Chaos. We're a small group."

"Group of what?" Heracles asked, seeming curious.

"We don't like the king so much, you see. We can't get into the city, all of us. They think we're a group of vagrants. Two of our group went in before. They never came back."

"A Hungarian and a Russo-German." The boy called Chaos piped up. "Hey, Vash?"

"Hmm?"

"I heard they acquired a fox-person."

"Another one?"

"Yeah. I think his name's Kiki or something."

"It's Kiku, as a matter of fact... I've been looking for him."

"Why?"

"Isn't it obvious? They're lovers."

"Then I can get you into the city. But you have to take Chaos and the little fox with you."

* * *

**Have a wonderful Christmas and New Years!**


End file.
